Dream Tutor
by Emilyandthebooks
Summary: Draco makes a harmless comment about Hermione, and ends up having to tutor her in Divination. (8th year Dramione)
1. Prolouge

Disclaimer: Against my greatest wishes, I don't own Harry Potter. If I did, I wouldn't be publishing on a fanfiction website.

OOC/Plot change warning: no Fred death, ignorance of "19 years later", ignorance of book 7 Romione events

 **Prologue- a few days after the battle of Hogwarts**

Hermione made her way through the rubble. She sighed as she walked past Filch, who was sweeping the floor- as if that would do anything. The school was ruined. Completely and utterly demolished. The great castle that had stood for hundreds of years had fallen, years of history turned to dust and ashes. How would young British witches and wizards learn, now that the best magic school was gone? She saw Professor McGonagall talking to Kingsley Shacklebolt, and overheard a bit of their conversation;

"I must congratulate you on your new position! Minister of Magic! We are all so proud."

"Only temporarily, only temporarily…"

Hermione rushed over, the news spinning in her head. "Congratulations, Kingsley!" She gave him a hug, savoring the good news like a young child would candy. The euphoria from winning the battle had faded days ago, and with all the death and destruction, she could find little to be happy about. Thinking of the destruction, she released him from her grip. "What will happen with the school? You must know, being minister and all."

"It's amazing what magic can do, Hermione. Hogwarts will be up and running in no time. In fact, it will hopefully be ready before you come to school next year."

She looked at him questioningly, "Kingsley, I'm too old to-"

He laughed a bit. "Hermione, you have yet to take your NEWTs, and as smart as you are, they really are quite necessary when applying for a job. All students are required to repeat their last year- standard procedure, seeing that the curriculum wasn't taught and half the students didn't even come."

Hermione hardly knew what to think. They got to come back? They were going back to Hogwarts? She felt like jumping up and down! She embraced Kingsley once more, before running off to tell Harry and Rom the good news. They got to come home, and finish their time in Hogwarts peacefully. No drama, no death, no Voldemort. It was going to be a fun year!


	2. Chapter 1

OOC/Plot change warning: no Fred death, ignorance of "19 years later", ignorance of book 7 Romione events

 **Chapter 1- the first day back**

"Bloody hell, Hermione! You look horrible!"

Hermione rolled her eyes, pulling bits of ash from her hair and brushing off her face with her sleeve. "Thanks Ron, you always know how to make me feel better." She had just arrived at the Weasleys', but she had already been subjected to one of the twins' pranks. As soon as she flooed in, the fireplace swept her up in a tornado of ash and dust.

"Discombobulating Doorway Disrupters," they had said together, grinning,"to keep unwanted people out."

"Not that we want you out, Hermione," said George quickly.

"Yeah, you were just convenient to practice on" Fred added.

They were all going together to the platform for their final year at Hogwarts. It was Harry's idea. Since the war, he had learned that you had to spend as much time as possible with your loved ones. Perhaps he had learned to well, because even though Hermione hadn't planned to spend much time with the boys that summer (after all, she _was_ in Australia), Harry had shown up at least once a week. She really didn't know how he managed to stand in line for so long; apperating was easy, but international apparition was illegal unless you had gone through the long wizard process that was much like muggle airport security. Harry must have been pretty desperate to see her. Then again, they might have made exceptions for the wondrous Boy-Who-Lived-Twice...

"-so is that alright with you, Hermione?"

Hermione turned to Molly, a bit bewildered. "Um, what was that? I didn't quite catch the beginning."

Molly smiled. "I was just asking if you were okay going first, dear."

"Fine by me," Hermione replied, before stepping into the fireplace with a handful of floo powder. "Platform Nine and Three Quarters!" she stated clearly, and was swept away.

* * *

The platform was rather empty when Draco arrived. That was the point, of course- he didn't want to draw unwanted attention. He boarded the train early and immediately went to the back, silently cursing his mother for her skills in persuasion. Even for a Slytherin, Narcissa was an astonishing manipulator. She even got out of Azkaban due to her forward thinking. So when she decided that Draco needed to finish his education, he never had a chance of getting out of it, no matter how hard he tried.

And try he did. He knew how the other students would treat him. He was a Death Eater. He had fought on the wrong side of the war. Never mind he had been forced into it, threatened and tortured into becoming a puppet to the Dark Lord. He would be taunted and cursed at and blamed. He almost deserved it.

But he couldn't have done anything. If he had refused they would have killed his mother and Imperiused him, and that would have been much, much worse. He was just lucky his Occlumency shields had held up, otherwise he would have been killed for his traitorous thoughts...

Suddenly, the door to his compartment swung open, snapping him out of his reverie. It was none other than the golden girl herself, Hermione Granger. He braced himself for the inevitable tirade that was sure to come from her. He was surprised, then, when she took an almost inaudible breath of apprehension before she nodded her head quickly, then moved to get out.

"Won't even speak to me, Granger? Scared you'll catch Death Eater germs?"

She turned back, surprised, but with a fire in her eyes that made him wonder why he had said anything. She had been perfectly civil, considering the circumstances, and he had to open his prideful mouth. _Bloody hell,_ he thought, _I'm practically turning into a Gryffindor!_

"I didn't realize you desired my company now that the war's over, Malfoy. Or have you always wanted my friendship?"

What? No! "Absolutely not, I just thought it was a common courtesy to say excuse me when you intrude on someone else's space. Or do they not teach manners in the Muggle world?" Ha! That should get her angry enough to leave.

But all it seemed to do was make her eyes squint, as though she was trying to understand something difficult. _Me,_ he realized. _She's trying to figure out my motives. Or weaknesses. Thinking like a right Slytherin, she is._ He realized she had started speaking, and pulled out of his thought in time to hear, "they obviously don't teach common courtesy here, either, or is there an exception for manners when speaking to Mudbloods?"

His jaw dropped. She had used the word so offhandedly, as if she were speaking of the weather. How could she be so blunt when she had been insulted so many times about her heritage? It was obvious why she was a Gryffindor now, despite her cleverness.

"Hermione? What's taking so long? Have you found an empty compartm-" the Weasel stopped abruptly. "Malfoy."

The other third of the trio showed up just then. Great. Now he would have two ticking bombs against him, unlike level-headed Granger with whom it was almost fun to spar with.

"Malfoy? What are you even doing here?"

"Same as you, I suspect," Draco drawled. "Or is it a crime for me to go to school?"

"When you should be in Azkaban? Of course!" the Weasel said, his face turning red.

"Ron!" they all turned and stared at Granger. She grabbed Ron's arm and whispered harshly with him for a quick minute. Draco only caught small bits, but he heard, "...may be an arse, but he was…. against his will…insult him about something else…. hardly fair…."

 _Is she defending me? Well, not really. But she knew that I was never fully evil. That's gotta be something._ Draco made a split-second decision to not respond to the taunt, just to get them out. He didn't want to fight the two Griffindorks, and if he was being honest, he wasn't having as much fun insulting Hermione as usual. "I was cleared of all charges, Weasley. Now, if you'll excuse yourselves, I'd like my compartment back." Potter looked like he was going to say something, but Hermione shot him a glare and he closed his mouth. They slowly walked out of the compartment, Granger practically shoving them through the doorway. "And Granger," he said, surprising her, "To answer your question, no, there's no exception. My apologies." She looked so genuinely confused, he couldn't help but feel a bit triumphant, despite the concession. When she caught his smirk, she stormed out of the compartment. He felt odd, as if the apology had been important somehow, more important than he meant it to be.

And when Blaise Zabini and Theodore Nott joined him in the compartment later, when he regaled them with the tale of his run in with the golden trio, he left that last part out. He couldn't figure out why- it just felt private.

* * *

 _Who did he think he was?_ Hermione stormed out of the compartment. _Hands out some insults, seems confused at me retaliating, and then gives an apology that is obviously complete crap?_ She caught up to Ron and Harry, who had finally found an empty compartment. She shook her head, clearing away the annoyance Malfoy had stirred up in her. He wasn't worth it, anyway.

The rest of the train ride passed in peace, Harry and Ron trying to guess what would be wrong with the DADA teacher this year (though Hermione kept telling them that "no, it should be normal this year because the curse ended") and Hermione diligently reading a book on Divination. She had decided, over the summer, that prophecies would be at least a bit important, considering how her life had been extraordinarily influenced by one, and she should probably give the class another shot.

When the train arrived at Hogsmeade, they were among the last ones to get off. Hermione heard people discovering the thestrals and felt a pang. They were all too young for all the darkness they had experienced. The carriages took them up to the castle, and they all sat down at their house tables. The Sorting Hat gave a more creative song this year, not talking about uniting the houses as usual, but instead about leaning on each other to heal the scars left by the darkness of the war. Hermione was surprised at how few firsties had been sorted to Slytherin, only 3 girls and 2 boys. They all looked a bit daunted, except one girl who ran over to the table and gave Pansy Parkinson a big hug, who surprisingly returned the gesture. Gryffindor, on the other hand, received 12 new members, most of whom spent the feast staring at Harry.

When the night finally came to a close, Hermione trudged up the stairs to Gryffindor Tower and to the new eighth-year dormitories. And as soon as her head hit the pillow, she was out.

But not everyone had as easy a time falling asleep. In the new Slytherin dormitories, far below the sleeping brunette, a pale boy with a writhing tattoo on his arm tossed and turned.


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2- the first week**

Hermione's first day started badly and ended worse. Returning to Hogwarts, which was supposed to be comforting, seemed to remind everyone of what they lost. Hermione was struck by how different the castle was every time she stubbed her toe on some new piece of architecture in the otherwise-unchanged halls. And it physically hurt to see the people who lost their loved ones in the war. The Creevey brothers never should have been split. Parvati seemed incomplete without Lavender. Hermione could see the pain etched onto their faces as she made her way to breakfast. She sat with Harry and Ron, but only half-listened to their conversation (which was mostly made up of Harry waxing poetic about how he wasn't allowed to be captain of the quidditch team, since Ginny had taken the spot when they had skipped their 7th year) in favor of studying the people around her. She noticed a few lonely faces, and made mental notes to talk to them at some point before the week was over. But as she added another name to the list, Harley Vasquez, she found herself suddenly drawn to a face behind the young Hufflepuff, a face that she knew she hated, but in that moment couldn't remember why. Because for a quick moment, she saw someone she'd never seen before. And for a quick moment, he looked just as lost, if not more so, than everyone else. And for a quick moment, Draco Malfoy looked completely, utterly, undeniably human.

Wait a minute, backtrack, Hermione thought to herself. Of course he was human. He had always been human. She tore her eyes away from the face that had already re-erected the tough, infallible facade that graced his expression every day. Trying desperately to reorient herself, though she couldn't remember when she had become so flustered, she joined back into her boys' conversation, which had thankfully been steered away from Quidditch just moments before, as owls started swooping overhead. "Schedules!" Hermione exclaimed. She was ever so excited to see her schedule. It would be quite a lot of work but she figured she'd do fine, considering DADA would be easy, Slughorn liked her, and one of the classes was divination, and that just took mindless lies to get an O. After receiving her schedule, she saw that she had Advanced Potions first thing, all the way in the dungeons. She'd have to leave now, or she'd definitely be late.

"I have to go, I have Potions first!" Hermione hurriedly finished her hot chocolate and ran out the huge doors, book bag swinging behind her.

Down a hundred stairs, up a hundred stairs, up another hundred, down again for lunch… Hermione was not happy with this schedule. Why why why did she have astronomy right after potions? She had the worst luck. And no classes with Harry or Ron except DADA! Who was out to get her? Was Snape haunting her, making her schedule all wonky? She was seriously considering it.

And not only that, but Malfoy had been in her Potions class. She wasn't really surprised, since he was fairly smart and liked the subject, but was nevertheless disappointed when he showed up. She managed to ignore him for the period, however, and partnered with Padma Patil to brew a rheumatism- relieving potion. She supposed the good samples would go to some teacher or other with back pains, since it was difficult to see any other reason they'd be making it…

"'Mione!" Her thoughts were interrupted by Ron's voice as she made her way into the great hall for lunch. Seeing her friends at the end of the Gryffindor table, she began walking towards them. She had just gotten about halfway across the hall and then BAM!

* * *

"My apologies, I didn't see you- oh it's you," Draco abruptly stopped his formality when he saw the wild brown curls of the girl he'd slammed into. Granger. Ugh. Hogwarts was not this small! Not only did they see each other on the train, but they also had Advanced Potions together, and he was nearly certain he overheard her say she had Divination third tomorrow. Same time as him. Some spirit with a really bad sense of humor must be haunting him, making his schedule wonky.

Snape, probably.

Draco glanced down at the girl, who was almost done regathering her school books. She seemed unfazed by the crash, as if she had fully expected to run into him, her nemesis, and was absolutely fine with it. He watched silently as she got to her feet and started toward her friends, walking past him like he wasn't there. Crazy girl.

Shaking off the encounter, Draco made his way over to his spot at the Slytherin table, sandwiching himself between Blaise and Theo. He poured a glass of water and then piled some chicken onto his plate. He was starving. As he ate, he pondered over his run-ins with Gryffindor's princess, and tried to forget the fascinated look on her face earlier that day. Of course, the one time he forgot to keep up his "high-and-mighty" facial expression was when she happened to look over. And although he convinced himself that she'd already forgotten the encounter, a niggling thought in the back of his mind reminded him that she wasn't called the brightest witch of her generation for nothing. He would have to be careful around the girl. Draco hadn't forgotten the calculating, yet not unkind look on her face on the train. Granger was more than she appeared to be. He wouldn't let her read him as easily as the thousands of books she'd gone through in her life. He couldn't let Hermione Granger, a girl who hated him, figure out how much he was hurting.

"You okay, man?" Draco started at Blaise's question.

"Yeah. I'm fine. Tired. How are you guys holding up?"

Theo gave him an odd look. "Have you been listening to us at all?" Draco gave him an apologetic grin. "I'll take that as a no. Well, if you had been listening, you would know that I am holding up just fine, but your horribly misguided friend here has gotten into some trouble," he grinned, "with a girl who doesn't like him."

"She will! One day! No girl is able to resist me for long!" Blaise argued with a whiny voice.

Draco laughed, "Who's the girl? A Slytherin, I hope. The girls here are the only ones for whom that statement could be false. And I, personally, would love to see you pine after a girl with no interest in you. Might knock you down a few pegs."

Blaise's face lit up. "Nope! A Ravenclaw. Lisa Turpin."

Draco groaned. "That brunette book-lover in our year? She'll be willing to go out with you by the end of the week!"

Blaise's face lit up. "You really think so?" Theo laughed, and they spent the rest of lunch teasing him about his new interest, distracting Draco from the girl he kept bumping into. Had he not been distracted, he may have glanced over and seen her studying him from across the hall, and he may have locked glances with her, and they may have come to an understanding. However, he did not look over, they did not lock glances, and they did not come to an understanding. Instead, over the course of the next week, the tension between them would strengthen as they continued to ignore each other. Until it broke.

 _ **A/N: Yes, I'm a horrible person. So so so sorry I took so long to update! To be fair, school started up again and I've been super busy. I should be more consistent now, though: I'm aiming for once a week minimum.**_

 _ **Also: Super huge thank you to Ravenleaf-of-RavenClan ! My first-ever review! You encouraged me to update again :)**_


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